The air around them was filled with tension. Isaac moved carefully and slowly to sit himself in the chair across from Liam, who continued to do nothing more than stare at the floor. They sat in silence for only a brief minute, and then Liam's ears seemed to ring as he heard a very faint sound of footsteps and floor creaking. Instantly, his senses sharpened and he looked up and around with caution. He strained his ears to hear, and definitely could hear someone walking across the second-story floor. He gave Isaac a questioning look, and his brother nodded in confirmation that he, too, heard the noise.

Liam reached for his revolver while Isaac got up to retrieve his shotgun from beside the front door. Within the minute that Liam had readied his weapon and Isaac had gotten his, a young woman stepped from behind the wall that seemed to shield the staircase. Liam pointed his revolver at her, finger off the trigger, and saw Isaac do the same. She didn't seem to be a threat, and her voice was groggy and almost shy.

"Hi," Liam barked. "What the hell are you doing in our house?"